


we've got our love to pay the bills

by oh_la_fraise



Series: kinky dorks in love [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff, M/M, no kink, obviously as it is from the perspective of steve's mom, sarah and bucky bond over cats, sarah for best mom award, this is the dorks in love part
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-25
Updated: 2015-08-25
Packaged: 2018-04-17 03:35:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4650726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oh_la_fraise/pseuds/oh_la_fraise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Who am I speaking to?” Sarah asks again, although she's pretty sure she has a good idea.</p><p>“Um, this is Bucky?  Bucky Barnes?  Steve's boyfriend?”  He confirms.  The poor child sounds terrified, and Sarah wonders what kind of stories Steve has been telling about her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	we've got our love to pay the bills

**Author's Note:**

> I've been reading too many sad (but really good!) fics where Sarah is dead. I wanted to write more of Steve and Bucky's everyday life in the KDIL verse, so have a fluffy fic where a very alive Sarah meets Bucky. Not that this probably needs to be said, but there isn't any kink in this fic, given how it's about Steve's mom. Title is from Ingrid Michaelson's You and I.

Sarah is just getting home from her shift when her phone rings. Her heart swells when Steve's face appears. “Hello, sweetheart,” she answers, tucking the phone into her shoulder as she digs for her keys.

“Hi, Ma. How are you doing? How was your shift?”  
  
She tells him about her day, both the good and the bad—the elderly man who passed away and the middle aged woman who got transferred to step down. She started taking rotations in the ICU when Steve was a toddler and in the ICU himself, and she never left. Steve murmurs in commiseration then rambles animatedly when she asks about his day.

“Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?” She asks. They make it a point to carve out time for dinner together every Thursday because their lives are both fairly busy, but it's not unusual for them to see each other days as well. “I have a pot roast in the crock pot.”

There's a pause. “I. . . have a date tonight, actually.” She can imagine the blush on her son's face.

“Oh, who with?”

“His name is Bucky. He's a new agent in Drug Crimes.” He sounds cautiously excited, and Sarah is excited for him, even as she wrinkles her nose at the name _Bucky_. Sounds like a beaver. She wants her son to have a good life. She knows that for a lot of people, Sarah included, happiness doesn't mean being in a relationship, but she also knows her son is lonely. He deserves someone who will realize what an amazing person he is.

“That's great, sweetheart. I want to hear all about him Thursday!” The conversation drifts into other topics before they eventually hang up. Steve is probably headed to the train now, on his way to his date. Her son has been an adult for a long time, but he's still her baby; they're the only family each other has, and they're as close as they've always been. So when Steve says he's dating someone, she can't help but worry; she's seen him get his heart broken too many times. He's been through so much in his short life, between his illnesses and the harassment he faces for being bisexual. Her son amazes her with the way he still lets himself vulnerable even though he's been burned so many times in the past. It's a Rogers family curse, she thinks bitterly, remembering how'd she rejoiced when Joseph finally drank himself to death. But Steve _does_ sound happy about this one.

She doesn't want to hope, but maybe this guy will be good for Steve.

 

~

 

Thursday night comes before she knows it. She makes a shepherd's pie, one of Steve's favorites. Steve had offered to cook when he got his first apartment and they started this tradition, but her son, despite many years of trying, is not a cook. They ate several meals of takeout and burnt spaghetti before Sarah told him that she didn't mind cooking every week. She's always expressed her love with food—she's everyone's favorite at the hospital's annual potluck—and she loves to pamper her son when she can, especially now that he's older and doesn't let her as much.

They catch up on their weeks. Sarah tells him about Jackie in the ER's new baby and the new place she and her friends from book club went to lunch at. Steve tells her about the new case he's working, and the movie he and Sam and Natasha went to see. Finally, she puts down her fork and looks him in the eye. “Well?”

Steve won't meet her eyes. Her heart sinks as he says “well, what?”

“You know what. How was your date? Was he rude? Do I need to have a talking with him?”

Steve glares. “Ma, I can take care of myself! I'm an adult. But no,” he says looking down again. Sarah realizes he's _blushing. “_ It was really good. He's nice.”

 _He's nice._ So much contained in those two words. Sarah knows her son better than anyone; h _e's nice_ means Steve is halfway to being in love, whether he admits it to himself or not. He's never done things half heartedly. “So tell me more about him.”

“He volunteers at Abby's,” Steve says. Abby's is the same youth center where Steve teaches art classes in his spare time. “He helps coach the soccer teams, though, which is why we've probably never met each other. He's crazy smart; he has a chemical engineering degree from Columbia. Not that you'd know from talking to him. Not that he's dumb,” Steve hastens to add, “just really down to Earth. Fun. He's good at his job but he doesn't let it get him down.”

“He sounds lovely, Steve. Does he look lovely?”

Steve blushes. “He's . . pretty attractive.”

“Well I want to see a picture of him!”

“Ma.”

“Oh, c'mon. You know your mother is just curious.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “I'll see what I can do.” She can see the fondness in his eyes, and she says a small prayer that this boy is as good as Steve seems to believe he is.

 

~

 

The next few months, Bucky begins to come up in every conversation Sarah has with Steve. _Bucky loves pie_ or _Bucky saw the Stones live_ or _Bucky is off field duty because he twisted his ankle at soccer practice._ One afternoon when they're apparently heading to the park for a date, Steve sends her a a picture of a very handsome man, dressed neatly in dark jeans and a cardigan. He's waving, smiling shyly.

Well, she can see one reason Steve likes him. He looks like a young Brando.

It's not until few weeks later, though, as she's running a few errands before her night shift, that she gets a bizarre text from Steve. It simply reads “ _what's Steve's favorite soup?”_

She panics a little. She knows Steve doesn't work directly with any criminals, but the message is so bizarre it makes her leery. She sends a simple _what?_ in response.

A few seconds later the phone starts ringing, Steve's name flashing. She picks it up with a cautious “hello?”

“Um, hi. Mrs. Rogers?” The timid voice is higher and rougher than her son's.

“Who is this? Is Steve okay?” She can only think of one reason someone is answering Steve's phone; something has happened to her boy—

 “No, he's fine!” The man hastens to reassure her. “Or, well, he's sick, but I'm pretty sure it's just a cold. He's asleep right now.”

“Oh, good,” she exhales, feeling shaky. “Who am I speaking to?” she asks again, although she's pretty sure she has a good idea.

“Um, this is Bucky? Bucky Barnes? His boyfriend?” He confirms. The poor child sounds terrified, and Sarah wonders what kind of stories Steve has been telling about her.

“Hello, Bucky, it's nice to finally meet you, although I wish it was under better circumstances.”  
  
“You too, ma'am. That's actually why I was calling; is there any particular kind of soup Steve likes? I was going to make him chicken noodle, but then I don't like chicken noodle myself, so I thought maybe vegetable beef. . .” He rambles, trailing off uncertainly.

Oh, she can understand why Steve likes him. He's too adorable.

“That's very sweet, Bucky. He'll like either. Is there a kind you're better at making?”

“Um, I can make both pretty well? I mean, I'm not trying to brag, I just. . .My family's Italian. I grew up around their restaurant. Maybe I'll make both. . .”

“I think he'll be fine with whatever you want to make, dear. He usually gets pretty grumpy when he gets sick, but don't let him fool you. He'll appreciate it.”

“Ah, yeah, I kinda figured that out already,” he says ruefully. He doesn't sound mad about it though, which is good. She knows it's not really fair for Steve to be short with others when he's ill, but he's her son, and she'll always defend him no matter what he does to other people.

“Well, I'm sure he'll love it dear. How is he doing? Is his fever too high? He'll need to go to the hospital if it gets above 103.”

“It's been hovering around 101, ma'am.” Sarah continues asking Bucky detailed questions about Steve's health—if he's coughing, what his mucus looks like—she knows she's being ridiculous, but Steve will push himself too hard when he's sick if no keeps an eye on him. Bucky surprisingly has pretty thorough answers, though, and she has to admit she feels better about leaving Steve with him while she's at work.

“We'll have to meet in person soon. Take care of Steve, please,” she finally says. She has a few things she has to get done before her shift, and now that she knows Steve's sick, she wants to make food to take when her shift is over in the morning. Not that she doesn't believe Bucky will take care of Steve, but she want feel comfortable until she sees him for herself.

“Yes ma'am,” Bucky says to both.

 

~

 

On her way home from her shift, she stops by Steve and Sam's apartment, letting herself in with the spare key she has. She can hear the faint whistle of the humidifier, and a very congested shout of “Buck?” There's about twenty different kinds of tea on the counter. When she opens the fridge to tuck away the bread pudding she made, sure enough there's two separate pots of soup, both big enough to feed an army, along with three different kinds of juice. She enters the bedroom to find Steve propped up in bed on a thousand pillows, and buried under what looks like just as many blankets. 

He blinks. “Oh, hi Mom.”

“Hi, sweetie. Expecting the boyfriend, where you?”

Steve scowls. He's always turned grumpy when he gets a cold; it makes Sarah stupidly glad to see him frown because the times when Steve was quiet and sick was always when things were incredibly serious. “More like hoping it wasn't. He already took off work yesterday to baby me,” he gestures to the mounds of pillows around him, “he doesn't need to waste his time today, too.”

Sarah moves a pillow out of the way (there are so many of them that she suspects Bucky went out to buy some) and settles on the bed next to him. She runs a hand through his hair, frowning at the heat she feels. “I don't think he'd consider it wasting his time.”

“Yeah, well, Bucky's an idiot.”

She swats at him. “Steve! After all that boy did for you? Be nice.” Just because she'll stick up for Steve to others when he's being a brat doesn't mean she'll allow it herself.

He deflates. “I know, I just don't get why he wants to waste his time with me,” he says, morose. She didn't warn Bucky that Steve also gets histrionic when he's ill.

“Because you're the most amazing person I know, and Bucky sees that too, apparently. Even if you are a tad dramatic.”

Before Steve can argue, his phone dings. He pulls it towards him, huffing. “Bucky sent me a puppy video.” 

He rolls his eyes, but obligingly brings his phone to where Sarah can see. “Oh, how cute!” she says as [they watch the puppy crawl down stairs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQPD4BVOd4c). She's always loved dogs; she couldn't manage one with her schedule and tiny apartment, but she had them growing up.

Steve twists his hands in the covers. “We said we love each other,” he mutters so quickly it takes her a minute to figure out what exactly he said. _Oh._ Now she gets why Steve is saying Bucky shouldn't be interested. Things have gotten serious now, so he's trying to convince Bucky he's not worth the effort before Bucky decides so for himself.

“Oh,” she says cautiously. “That's a big step.” It's not that she's not happy for Steve, and Bucky seems kind from the five minutes she'd talked to him, but they haven't been dating that long. When Steve cares about someone, he gives his whole heart in the process, and he's been hurt in the past because others didn't appreciate what an enormous gift that was. Couple that in with being sick and being forced to rely on someone else; no wonder he's grumpy.

“Yeah,” Steve confirms. He sounds so upset for what should be a happy occasion. “And then he force fed me oatmeal.”

“Well, he definitely sounds like a keeper.”

Steve pauses and then says quietly. “I think he might be. I want him to be.”

She pats his hand. “Well, he made all that soup; I don't think he's going anywhere anytime soon.” And she hopes what she says is true.

 

~

 

When she wakes up for her next shift, there's a message from an unknown number. It reads “Hi Mrs. Rogers! Steve said you liked the other video; I saw this earlier and I thought you'd like this one too. :)”

She clicks the attached link to find a video of a [puppy looking for its reflection. ](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/04/puppy-tries-find-reflection_n_6101696.html) 

She sends Steve a text. _Bring your boy to dinner_ _next_ _Thursd_ _ay._

 

~

 

She opens the door to a giant bunch of daisies.

Steve pushes Bucky—or at least that's who Sarah assumes it is, since she can't actually see his face from the flowers—inside gently. Bucky lowers the huge vase of flowers and holds them out to her. “Hi, Mrs. Rogers,” he says, little crinkles appearing at the corner of his eyes as he smiles. He's dressed sharply in a pair of dark grey pants and a navy button down. He really is handsome. “It's nice to finally meet you.”

“It's nice to meet you too, Bucky. Thank you for the flowers; they're lovely. Please, come in. Would you boys like something to drink?” she asks as she sets them on the table.

As they eat, Bucky loses some of his nervousness, and she can see he's quite the charmer. He tells a story about a time he shaved his eyebrow off, and Sarah laughs harder than she has in ages. She finds herself becoming more impressed with Bucky as the night goes on. He and Steve constantly tease each other, and Bucky gives as good as he gets.

But it's the way they seem to move in tandem that makes Sarah really believe he truly loves Steve. Bucky hands Steve the salt before Steve can even ask for it; Steve brings Bucky a spoon instead of a fork for dessert because that's apparently what he prefers. They finish each others' sentences, and share sappy looks when they don't think she's looking.

Steve runs to the bathroom before they start on dishes, but Bucky already has his sleeves rolled up and plates under the sink. She brings in their glasses and tells him “thank you for your help, Bucky.”

“Thanks for the dinner, Mrs. Rogers. It was great. It makes me miss my Mom's cooking.”

They sit in comfortable silence for a moment, Bucky doing the dishes while Sarah boxes up the leftovers, before Bucky continues “I'm glad Steve hasn't met my mom yet. She'd totally be threatening him with a butcher knife if he broke my heart right now.”

Sarah laughs. “Don't be silly, Bucky.” She pauses for a moment before adding “I'm Irish; I would use a meat cleaver.”

Bucky lets out a strangled laugh. “Well, I guess since you're a nurse you would know how to make it count.”

“You better believe it.” She laughs, letting the quiet over take them before sliding up close to Bucky. “But seriously, Bucky. I can tell he really likes you. He's been through a lot in his life. Be good to him, please?”

His eyes soften as he replies. “I will, Mrs. Rogers.”

She finds herself believing him.

“Good,” she replies. “Now, please, stop calling me Mrs. Rogers. I feel like I'm ancient.”

“Yes, ma'am,” he smiles.

After everything's cleaned up and she's dashed off to the bathroom herself, she returns to find the boys have slipped outside. Steve and Bucky are sitting side by side on the fire escape, hands intertwined heads leaning towards one another. Bucky turns his head, pressing a gentle kiss to Steve's temple.

Sarah smiles and retreats back inside.

 

~

 

The next morning she has two texts: a _d_ _o you think steve would like this_ _?_ with a link to an Italian calamari recipe and a video of a [kitten dancing. ](http://time.com/4009033/kitten-dancing/)

 

**Author's Note:**

> My headcanon is that Steve is baffleed because his mom and his boyfriend are bffs all of a sudden and they keep sending cat videos to each other??? Why does he love such weirdos?
> 
> Come join me on [tumblr](http://www.ohlafraise.tumblr.com)! I'm the world's worst at replying to comments but those and kudos mean so much to me!


End file.
